World Racing Group CEO Brian Carter shared his thoughts on High Limit Racing directly competing with the World of Outlaws and whether or not the market can sustain two national Sprint Car series.
In an interview with DirtVision’s Conner Wade, Carter was asked, “Through two years of having two national series, the Sprint Car industry seems capable of supporting two national series for now. In the long run, 10 years down the road, is that still going to be the case?”
Carter replied, “Well, the just is still out in my mind. In some markets, you can support that, in some markets you can’t. And we’re going to have to figure out what those are. … So, the market is going to continue to move. And unfortunately, I don’t have control of all of that anymore. We’re going to do our part and need everybody to do their part as it relates to saturation of marketplace, and how much you confuse the race fans, and where we’re going to go, and I don’t think that world has sorted it out yet. So we’re going to continue doing what we’re doing and they’re going to continue to do what they’re doing.”
“I think the jury is still out on how many of these things can happen,” he reiterated. “California is a great example. A lot of racing in California, particularly after August. Nothing in the spring now this time. So where does the supply and demand balance? And it’s going to take a balancing act. So that’s yet to be seen how this all plays out.”
Carter was also asked about High Limit’s High Roller Club and the payouts to the series’ franchise teams and whether or not those payouts are sustainable. Carter responded, “My math doesn’t math in 2026, 2025. That doesn’t math for me. So I’m going to continue to watch that carefully. Our venues that we go to minus Knoxville, minus Eldora, minus Charlotte, Huset’s has a big venue, but those venues are — if we are butts in seats that doesn’t match my butts in seats models. So I’m not going to become a broadcast driven company. I want to be butts in seats.”
“The broadcast is an incredible component of what we have now, but it’s not what we’re trying to do,” he continued. “I want people to enjoy Sprint Cars in person. I want them to [see] the racing in person. So from that perspective in the current world today, I can’t imagine how that works. But I’m optimistic that Sprint Car racing is going to grow and how we allocate that. My question is, is that what the investment is requiring? Do the tracks need more? Do the fans need a different experience?”
“I don’t know if the top 10 teams need that much money in 2029. I can’t tell you,” Carter said. “But I’m going to continue to evolve and figure out what the sport needs so that the fans can enjoy it and the teams can be successful and the tracks can be successful and World Racing Group and the World of Outlaws can be successful.”
Later in the interview, he was also asked about the charter/franchise at-large and whether it is a good to introduce it into Sprint Car racing. Carter said, “I’m not sure I share that version of it being a good idea yet. Again, who are they meeting the needs of? Are they meeting the needs of 10 teams? They potentially could do that. Is it meeting the needs of the rest of the industry? I don’t know that answer.”
“For me, we have posted prize money. We have been fair. Come and race for it, I write you a check. And $225 million later after all that, I think it’s okay right now,” he continued. “My vision of this is not to have that. I want to protect our teams. I want to make sure that they know that we got their backs and they’re part of something bigger. It’s a part of something that we’re promoting all of dirt racing so that they have a place to race 20 years from now. Because these tracks are part of the balancing act as well. The fans are part of the balancing act. So consolidating that money into 10 teams I don’t know how that plays out.”
Carter did share his excitement about other companies investing in the sport, “I’m hopeful that the sport continues to grow and having other companies investing in the growth of Sprint Car racing, I’m excited about that part of it.”
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